Professor in Perturbational Systems Biology

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is one of the most important education and research institutions in the Low Countries. On a daily basis, 15,000 staff members and 50,000 students implement its motto "Dare to Think". Ghent University's mission statement is characterised by qualitative education, internationally renowned research and a pluralistic social responsibility.

ASSIGNMENT
 

This vacancy concerns a position as ZAP with a research assignment in the research domain 'Perturbational Systems Biology'.

Candidates must demonstrate scientific excellence based on criteria of scientific quality, which is evident, among other things, from publications in journals and books with international visibility and from the proposed scientific research in the research plan.

Taking up this position, which is financed by VIB in the context of the framework agreement between VIB and Ghent University, gives rise to an appointment in a temporary, renewable employment contract until 31/01/2031 to stimulate research in the field of “Perturbational Systems Biology ” and implies the privilege to devote efforts almost exclusively to research activities during this period.

The candidate will conduct research in the field of perturbational systems biology. This research will take place within the Biomedical Molecular Biology department and should integrate research domains such as single-cell multi-omics, in vivo CRISPR screens and computational systems biology.

Academic education

You lecture, when applicable, course units in the discipline of perturbational systems biology. The teaching assignment is mainly situated within the Bachelor and Master program in Biomedical Molecular Biology. You are also responsible for supervising bachelor's and master's theses.

Academic research

You conduct research in the discipline of perturbational systems biology and develop in vivo CRISPR screening methods and associated computational pipelines for modeling intercellular communication and intracellular gene regulation in the field of inflammation and immunity. The in vivo perturbational systems biology approach leverages the strengths of both experimental multiplexed in vivo perturbations and computational methods, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of complex biological systems.

You will develop a multi-scale approach (tissue architecture, cell-cell communication, intracellular signaling, gene regulation, etc.) in which multiple biological processes (development, proliferation, differentiation, cell death, metabolic processes, etc.) can be studied and integrated in parallel. You combine in vivo wet lab protocols with computational biology methods so that you can use an “experiment-in-the-loop” strategy. By using such an iterative feedback loop strategy, the insights gained from the computational analysis can be fed back to the experimental design. This iterative process will allow you to refine your hypotheses and design subsequent wet lab experiments more effectively. By continuously integrating experimental data with computational predictions, you will map genetic interactions and their effects on cellular functions more quickly and accurately.

Academic services

You contribute to the internal and external services of the Biomedical Molecular Biology department.
 

PROFILE
 

Experience

• You have a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology or a related field.
• You have already conducted high-quality scientific research in Systems Biology, as evidenced by publications in high-quality scientific journals and peer-reviewed books;
• You have experience in modeling cell-cell communication, the study of gene expression regulation, the analysis of multiplexed CRISPR screens.
• You have strong programming skills in languages ​​such as Python and R
• You have experience in the analysis of omics dataset using statistical or machine learning methods
• You have experience in the development of wet lab protocols for performing in vivo CRISPR screens (e.g. PERTURB-seq)
• You have experience in the development of wet lab protocols for performing single-cell and spatial transcriptomics on tissue samples.
• You are able to initiate and supervise scientific research and collect the necessary funds for this;
• You have didactic skills aimed at developing and realizing academic competencies in university students; 
• Recommended:
  • International mobility, among other things thanks to research stays at institutions external to the one where you acquired your highest academic degree;
  • Experience with computational modelling of the immune system;

• Experience in supervising master's and doctoral students

• You must master the language of instruction in which you will teach a course at CEFR-  level C1.You can demonstrate this by means of a language certificate or a diploma obtained from an institution in which that language is the language of instruction. In addition, Article II.270, §1 of the Codex of Higher Education requires that: (i) you must master the Dutch language at least at CEFR-level A2 within two years after the start of the appointment. (ii) you must be able to master the Dutch language at least at CEFR-level of B2 within five years after the start of the appointment. More info: Language requirements at Ghent University for professorial staff — Ghent University (ugent.be)

Skills / Attitude

• You are quality-oriented;
• You take initiative;
• You have good didactic skills;
• You are a team player;
• You have good organizational, interpersonal and communication skills;
• You develop leadership within your field;
• When developing your research, you are also prepared to focus on complementarity with existing research in the Biomedical Molecular Biology department, the Faculty of Sciences and the Ugent-VIB Inflammation Research Center and thus build bridges and set up collaborations with other research units within Ghent University and VIB.

Admission requirements

• You hold a thesis-based doctorate in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Systems Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology or a related field or a diploma or certificate that is recognised as equivalent (article V.20 Codex Higher Education).

Upon evaluation of a foreign (non-EU) diploma, a certificate of equivalence may still have to be requested at NARIC. If this is the case, we advise you to initiate this recognition procedure as soon as possible. You are required to have the recognition no later than on the date of your appointment.

• You have at least two years of postdoctoral experience on 1 February 2025. This term of two years is determined by the date written on the above-mentioned required diploma.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

The selected candidate will be appointment in the degree of associate professor with mainly a research assignment. This is decided by the University Board on the recommendation of the Faculty Council.

We offer you an appointment for a period of 6 years, possibly extendable.

Pay attention: A part-time assignment of a certain degree of the professorial staff cannot be combined with a part-time assignment of a different degree of the professorial staff within the same institution. 

The starting date is February 1, 2025.

OUR OFFER

The career and evaluation policy for Professorial Staff is based on talent development and growth, prioritizing vision development and strategy - at the personal as well as the group level. At UGent we focus on career support and coaching of the Professorial Staff in the different phases of the career. More information can be found on www.ugent.be/en/work/mobility-career/career-aspects/professorial-staff.

Ghent University is committed to properly welcoming new professorial staff members and offering them appropriate guidance. The basic teacher training and courses of 'Dutch' and 'English' for foreign-speaking lecturers are only a few examples of our wide range of training and education opportunities. Furthermore, each Ghent University staff member can count on a number of benefits such as a bike allowance, reimbursement of public transport commuting costs, daycare, a wide range of sports facilities and EcoCheques. A complete overview of all our employee benefits (in Dutch).

Ghent University also invests in welcoming international professorial staff. It offers various housing options, a relocation bonus, the International School for school-aged children (with a discount on the tuition fee), support when registering at the City of Ghent, support with the procedure of family reunification and other administrative matters in connection with moving to Ghent. Read more.

Candidates who are newly appointed at Ghent University with an appointment as autonomous academic staff of at least 50% or candidates whose appointment as autonomous academic staff at Ghent University is increased to a minimum of 50% receive a Starting Grant of € 230.000 to contribute towards the personnel, operating and/or equipment costs of establishing a research team.

GENDER AND DIVERSITY

Ghent University conducts an equal opportunities policy and encourages everyone to apply. Ghent University also strives for a gender balance. Female applications are thus especially welcomed.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

After the final application date, all received applications will be sent to the faculty selection committee assembled for this vacancy. After a pre-selection on the basis of the submitted and assessed as admissible application files, the selection committee may hear the candidates about their vision and planning regarding education, research and services. It is also possible to organize a trial lesson or a presentation on a subject in the relevant field. Afterwards, the committee will rank the suitable candidates and present this ranking to the Faculty Board. The advice of the Faculty Board will then be presented to the University Board for approval.

Candidates are asked to further discuss their top 5 most important publications or other academic achievements with the highest impact. Next to academic publications, the candidate is thus also able to show merit of knowledge transfer by academic dissemination, social valorisation, public awareness, seminars or conference presentations. These competences are also taken into account when evaluating the candidates.

The evaluation of the required international mobility is broad and partly takes the gender perspective into account, thus not only considering longer stays abroad by also other forms of internationalisation.

Pregnancy leave, prolonged sick leave, parental leave, filial leave or other forms of absence are taken into account when evaluating the available time for the realisation of academic output.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late or incomplete applications, or applications that are not sent through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘Application form’: the professorial staff application form (+ all annexes mentioned in the form), merged into one pdf file. Include in your bibliography, next to the impact factor, also the quartile ranking of the journal (Q1,…, Q4).
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format. The candidates also explain how they will integrate this 10% assistant professorship with the remaining % of their scientific activities in benefit of the Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology. Add a short description of your current research and your plans for further research (max 2 pages, not including your application letter).
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of your doctoral degree. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field ‘Certificate of equivalence’: only for diplomas awarded outside the European Union: certificate of equivalence (NARIC) (if already in you possession). For diplomas awarded in the UK before January 31st of 2020, a certificate of equivalence is not required.

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

MORE INFORMATION

For further information regarding this vacancy, please contact Professor Wim Declercq (wim.declercq@ugent.be +32 (0)9/331.38.20) at the faculty of Sciences, department of Biomedical Molecular Biology.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read the FAQ or contact us via selecties@ugent.be or +32 9 264 34 36